Home Surfing Instructor Resume template
Surfing Instructor resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what surfing instructors actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most surfing instructors should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Surfing Instructor with several seasons of experience coaching groups and individuals at beach and reef breaks. Skilled at assessing conditions, teaching ocean safety and building confidence in learners of all ages. Holds a Surfing Australia coaching accreditation, current first aid and CPR, and a Working with Children Check.
Key skills
- Teaching and instruction
- Fitness coaching and instruction
- Surfline and swell forecasting
- Mindbody booking systems
- GoPro video analysis
- Rescue board operation
- First aid and CPR
- Safety and compliance awareness
- Customer service
- Physical stamina and dexterity
- Empathy and interpersonal care
Experience: example bullet points
- Assessed surf conditions and selected safe locations each morning, adjusting lesson plans for tide changes and incoming swell.
- Demonstrated paddling, standing and turning techniques on the beach and in the water, helping beginners progress to riding unbroken waves.
- Supervised students in the water and enforced safety rules, maintaining a calm environment during busy holiday periods.
- Provided individual feedback to improve surf skills and confidence, with many learners booking follow-up lessons.
- Maintained and checked surfboards, rescue boards and first aid kits, keeping all equipment ready for daily sessions.
Education
Certificate III or IV in Sport and Recreation, or a Diploma of Outdoor Recreation, plus a Surfing Australia coaching accreditation, current first aid and CPR, and a Working with Children Check.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Surfing Australia
- Surf Life Saving Australia
- Bronze Medallion
- first aid
- CPR
- Working with Children Check
- Certificate III in Sport and Recreation
- Diploma of Outdoor Recreation
- surf school
- ocean safety
- risk assessment
- group instruction
- wave selection
- rescue board
- Surfline
- Mindbody
- GoPro
- customer service
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.